New to detailing world need advice

[Gen_Coupe'10]

Hi i just recently purchased a 2010 hyundai genesis coupe 3.8 the car is a bright red but man... it has alot of swirls and looks a lil light in some areas. ive been doing some research and heard this m205 is some good stuff. well i went to the shop and bought some swirl x and m205. ive heard good things about both but this is my question. Of course i will wash before i do this but exatcly how do i go about doing this... should i use swirl x first.. then 205 or oth. way around? or should i just use one and not the other? and if i do use the m205 should i wax the car afterwards? im a lil nervous to do this and just want to know if someone has attempted this already. all help is greatly appreciated.

[ffboy]

Re: New to detailing world need advice

You might want to clay the car before proceeding to swirl removal.

No doubt, for a consumer paint cleaner, SwirlX works nicely. Can be a bit annoying to dispense from the bottle, it is quite thick. It is more aggressive than M205, for swirl removal, it's best to do the job by machine. It can be done by hand, but it will be difficult... With theses cleaners, remove them WHILE WET.

For more info on compounds, read this:
The Aggressiveness Order of SMAT Products - This might surprise you!

[wifpd4]

Re: New to detailing world need advice

I agree with ffboy, clay the car. Even if brand spanking new, it may have bonded contaminates. Removing them will give you a smooth flat surface the base for all the work you will do next and a flat smooth surface will help make for better reflections.

Yes, SwirlX is difficult to get out of the bottle, but it is well worth the effort.

If you haven't already, here is another link you may wish to read:

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?37320-Meguiar-s-5-Step-Paint-Care-Cycle-Updated!

[Michael Stoops]

Re: New to detailing world need advice

First off, welcome to MOL. Second, congrats on the new to you Genesis Coupe - sweet car! Third, even though M205 is really good stuff, it may not be the right stuff for your task at hand. From what you've said, this is a nearly 3 year old used car with plenty of swirls in the paint, right? If so, it sounds like you're going to need something with quite a bit more power than just M205 or SwirlX to fully correct the paint issues.

Yes, claying is most likely a mandatory step on this car. If the previous owner was fine with all the swirls they probably never clayed it, either, so you'll want to do that immediately following a proper wash and dry. But from there, to remove the swirls, you're most likely going to need something more along the lines of Ultimate Compound. M205 is a finishing polish, designed primarily to enhance the gloss and clarity after proper correction with a more aggressive product, such as UC. Don't let the word "compound" scare you though. This is our go to product in our Saturday Classes, both by hand application and DA work, and it just flat out gets the job done. Of course, that brings us to our next question: are you working by hand or with a buffer of some sort? Technique is going to be important here regardless of process so we want to make sure you fully understand the correct processes before just jumping in and either wasting time or causing problems. We'd like to see you do it all correctly the first time around.

[ffboy]

Re: New to detailing world need advice

For maximium protection, Ultimate Wax is the way to go althought NXT 2.0 is also a good product. It's proven, it has a slightly brighter, candy-coated look compared to Ultimate Wax's deeper, crisper reflections, Gold Class Carnauba Plus can beat those other sealants in the looks department. It can give a warmer, wetter look, but it won't be as durable as synthetic sealants/waxes. In any case, you would want to maintain it with Gold Class Car wash. YOu can also use Ultimate Quik Detailer and Ultimate Quik Wax in between washes and waxing. Regular use of UQD or Quick detailers before dust and dirt accumulates will make maintenance a lot easier and minimize any swirls that can be inflicted unto your car's paint.

After all the work has been done to your Genesis, why not treat your car's mechanicals to some newer parts (well, if needed) like new or better oil or something of that sort?

[Gen_Coupe'10]

Re: New to detailing world need advice

thx for all the info guys ! The swirls aren't too bad but they just bother me knowing they are there.. Especially because how nice and bright the red is on the car. And yes Mr.S, I will be doing everything by hand.
So more than likely maybe return the 205 and get UC?
I was actually thinking of maybe just going with the swirl x and then hitting her up with some ultimate wax that ffboy was suggesting . Any thoughts ?
And to ffboy : I'm thinking after I get the cars paint back up and shiny maybe getting a cold air intake and seeing about running some good oil. Possibly royal purple

[Murr1525]

Re: New to detailing world need advice

Well, you will likely want a milder cleaner for regular use in the future. So having #205/SwirlX/UP and UC on hand would be ok.

Working by hand, you almost certainly will need UC.

And yes, Ult. Wax is good.

[ffboy]

Re: New to detailing world need advice

thx for all the info guys ! The swirls aren't too bad but they just bother me knowing they are there.. Especially because how nice and bright the red is on the car. And yes Mr.S, I will be doing everything by hand.
So more than likely maybe return the 205 and get UC?
I was actually thinking of maybe just going with the swirl x and then hitting her up with some ultimate wax that ffboy was suggesting . Any thoughts ?
And to ffboy : I'm thinking after I get the cars paint back up and shiny maybe getting a cold air intake and seeing about running some good oil. Possibly royal purple

Anytime we get a used car, one of the rules which probably is the most important is to change or improve the existing essentials of the car (oil, spark plugs, filters, etc) to make sure the car is 100% efficient and reliable. HOwever, I'm also guilty of focusing on the aesthetics of the car (paint shine, etc.) since it is the one that has the most immediate impact on the person buying or using the car. For future detailing, I suggest ColorX and the original Cleaner wax (Paste) from meguiars consumer level product.

Royal Purple is good, should make your Hyundai really fly. Hyundais have come a long long way. They were once considered "good enough" cars. NOt the best in craftmanship, hence the cheap price tag. Nowadays, Hyundai is one of the brands to have.

[Gen_Coupe'10]

Re: New to detailing world need advice

Sorry for the inactivity got a lil busy with work. so i got my car back on friday. i washed it today with some wash/wax deal. dried it.. and afterwards used some scratch x.
now tell me if i did this right..
i applied the scratch x with a terry pad ..
taped off a small square section.
i rubbed the car with pressure in a circular motion until it was like a clear film.
then i took it off with a microfiber and buffed it out with a buffing towel. aftwards, i got a new terry pad and applied the 205 to it. and once again in a circular motion until i saw clear. then i removed and buffed out. then i went over it with some turtle wax that i founnd in the garage. same process .
and i got this result. (pic not that great from cell phone)



you can see where i taped it off. well i was impressed with the results and went out and bought some meguiars wax to get better results!


this is what i used (except wax)
now heres the sec. question. i bought the two waxes. havent used either one yet . i wanna know if theres a difference btwn the 2.
there was a $10 price difference but i wanna know if one works better than the other. both look good but idk, u guys know more so i rather let the pros tell me. either way ima go return the one i dont use.

[Gen_Coupe'10]

Re: New to detailing world need advice

i was actually thinking of going with the clay also that ffboy was suggesting in an earlier post. but idk if i could use all that at once?

[Murr1525]

Re: New to detailing world need advice

Why need to use the clay all at once?

[Gen_Coupe'10]

Re: New to detailing world need advice

lol sorry. let me re do that. i mean to... clay the car then apply swirlx then apply 205 then apply wax.
you think thats too much?

[ffboy]

Re: New to detailing world need advice

Claying can definitely help, then apply SwirlX then M205. By hand, you can just use SwirlX then check the results if it is more than acceptable to you in terms of how it finishes up. Finish up with M205 if you feel the results aren't up to your liking. I have no experience with M205 and how it works when used by hand, but try using SwirlX first to determine if if the end results are OK with you, but in my experience SwirlX does finish nicely.

NXT 2.0- A 100% synthetic polymer wax, decent durability, works well on light colored cars but does work equally well on Dark Colors
Gold Class Carnauba Plus- Carnauba Wax with some polymers in it to help in durability, less durable than 100% synthetic waxes, makes up for it by giving deeper, richer color, most beneficial on Dark Colored Cars.

For looks, Gold Class wins, for durability, NXT 2.0 wins. But in all honesty on a well prepped and swirl free paint, it would be near impossible to tell if the car has a coat of NXT 2.0 or Gold Class or Ultimate wax.

[Murr1525]

Re: New to detailing world need advice

SwirlX and #205 will probably be pretty similar as far as your results. Not too much need to use both.

[Rocksteady-Rebel]

I like the KISS method I have for this:
(Keep It Simple Stupid) meaning basics....
Wash
Polish
Wax

I stick to the Ultimate line on my personal cars. And I always have my neighbors break their necks to see my 16 year old car.

Gold Class Wash
Meguiars Clay Bar
Ultimate Compound
Ultimate Polish
Ultimate Liquid wax

Get yourself some of the Meguiars applicator pads since your working by hand. Yellow pad for the compound and black pads for the polish and wax.

If only I wasn't on my cellphone app I'd post you a YouTube video. It helps so much more when you see how Mr Michael Stoops does it.